LETTERS, Dec. 5: Chemours plant should be closed

Tuesday

Dec 5, 2017 at 2:00 AMDec 5, 2017 at 8:04 AM

Close Chemours

EDITOR: It has now been seven months since the StarNews reported our area's drinking water was contaminated by Chemours. We also learned that Chemours/DuPont had been discharging contaminants into the Cape Fear River since 1985.

It has become evident to me -- but apparently not by our public representatives -- that Chemours and DuPont are not the corporate citizens we want for our community. The lack of empathy and refusal to answer questions about recent discharges prompts me to propose the following:

1. Close the manufacturing facility in Fayetteville before the end of calendar year 2017 and let the officers of Chemours respond to questions generated from its shareholders and investors;

2. Initiate litigation against Chemours for environmental violations, quantify the amount for clean-up and restoration of our waterways and potential medical claims, and require Chemours to pay for the remediation and to post a bond for future claims.

Do we need more Teflon frying pans and ScotchGuard related products to justify jeopardizing the public's health by a corporation who you would not want as a neighbor today?

Ed Lapinski, Southport

An H2GO solution

EDITOR: Regarding the recent H2GO fiasco: I have no strong convictions on either side, but do think I think I understand both positions. I believe the reverse osmosis plant was in consideration long before the GenX issue became public knowledge, and I can understand the stronger sentiment for it when the GenX issue came to light. I can also understand the concerns regarding the potential costs that might be passed on to us, the H2GO customers.

I believe however, that the recent actions taken by the board are not the proper way to proceed. I also believe that the election of one new board member who opposes the plant is not a mandate by the people, as a re-election of a plant proponent on the same ballot doesn't support that conclusion.

So let me propose a reasonable solution. Once the new board is in place, they should move forward to prepare a ballot solely for the purpose of approving or rejecting the new plant. Give the customers who pay for the water supplied by H2GO all of the available information, including costs, timing and any scientific data available, and let us decide whether we want the plant or not.

Isn't this the fairest way to handle a difficult situation?

​George Rosica, Leland

Better policies needed

EDITOR: The media has spent much time discussing sexual perpetrators, but have not done much to investigate the policies businesses have to protect the victim of harassment from retribution. Really good policies need to be aired to encourage those who have substandard policies to improve.

Suppose each state ran a contest: Each county of each state invites, on a voluntary basis, businesses of four or more employees to send to their county planners a copy of their policy for what victims of sexual harassment should do to complain about inappropriate behavior. The county would then select the best two that offer the victim who complains the best protection against retribution and send those to the state justice department.

The state would then evaluate the submissions and send to the Federal Justice Department the two best policies in the state. The Federal Justice Department would then review the submissions and post for the media the10 best policies, including brief arguments about why they are excellent policies.

Businesses around the country would then have excellent standards by which to judge and maybe modify their own policies.

Russell Shipp, Wilmington

Unfit to serve?

EDITOR: We need to give a heartfelt thanks to Leland Mayor Brenda Bozeman and town manager David Hollis for their leadership in stopping the underhanded actions of the H2GO Board.

The attempted transfer of property and debt to the town of Belville was a ploy to circumvent the recent election of Bill Beer to that board.

These recents acts and total disregard for the election outcome call into question the fitness of those H2GOs members, public information officer and director to serve.

Don Yousey, Leland

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